Zara

Zara — Biography

Zara, whose real name is Neşe Zara Yılmaz, was born on 15 January 1976 in Üsküdar, Istanbul. She is of Kurdish descent. In 1991 she won first place in Turkey in the inter-high-school Music and Folk Dance competition, and she graduated from the Voice Training Department of the Turkish Music State Conservatory at Istanbul Technical University.

In 1996 she passed TRT's examination and became a contracted Turkish Folk Music vocal artist for TRT; in 1998 she released her first album Avuntu and received the Promising Female Artist of the Year award. She won the Golden Butterfly award for Best Turkish Folk Music Female Artist four years in a row and founded the music company Zr Müzik in 2007.

Also an actress, Zara appeared in Eylül Fırtınası (1999), Deli Yürek: Bumerang Cehennemi (2001), Gelin, İpsiz Recep and Eşkıya Dünyaya Hükümdar Olmaz (as Gönül), and in 2021 she acted in the series Mavera. The artist, who continues her concert work, has a daughter named Dila.